Digital Media

I have acquired the skills of being a good text messenger over the last several years. However, this was an odd process for me to learn before I could become a good text messenger. About three years ago, my half Mexican and half Puerto Rican friend from junior high school named Armando sent me a reply text message after I sent him a text message saying Happy Birthday. The communication media hindered the conversation because his reply said “Thanks, we might play basketball today. I’ll let u know l8tr.” The media hindered the conversation because when he used l8tr to abbreviate the word later, the lower case l looked very similar to the capital letter I in a text message, so even if I knew what l8tr meant, there could still be some confusion.
The context of where I was when I communicated effected what was said when the reply message was sent because I was at home so I asked my sister what l8tr meant. I asked her because my sister was knowledgeable about the language used in text messages. The medium did not have an effect on this communication. This was the case because the misinterpretation of the message caused the communication breakdown. The problem could be isolated to the message because I did not understand the message until I asked my sister. I could have asked Armando what the word l8tr meant, but I already sent a reply message telling him Ok. I also asked my sister for the meaning because when I sent the reply saying Ok, it signified the end of the conversation between Armando and me. This experience was the first of many times I tried to learn the language of text messages so there would be less ambiguity between me and whoever I communicated with through the use of text messages.

Popular Culture

After I looked around my room and in my closet, I noticed that I consume a decent amount of popular culture. I came to this conclusion because I own 20 sports jerseys and shirts combined. This would be considered a part of popular culture because sports products are cultural products known and shared by people all over the world. This is true because during a broadcast of an Olympic basketball game last year in Beijing, the announcers mentioned that Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who are two National Basketball Association players, have the highest selling jerseys in China. This is amazing and expresses popular culture because these players are not only popular in America, but are two reasons why sports are a part of popular culture around the world.
The brand name clothes I wear consist of the companies Avirex, Southpole, Rocawear, Ecko, and Nike. Avirex is a popular clothing line from New York. Southpole is a clothing line from New Jersey. Rocawear is a clothing line made by Jay-Z, who is one of the most popular rappers of all time. Ecko is a clothing line creating by Marc Ecko, a popular fashion designer, and Nike is a global sports company all over the world. I have a poster of Julius Erving, who was a player in the NBA. I also have a poster of the rapper Eminem. The posters are examples of popular culture because Erving was one of the more popular players during his time, and Eminem is one of the most popular rappers over the last 10 years. Most people who watch the NBA know who Julius Erving is, and most people who listen to rap know about Eminem. Therefore, these two people have wide dissemination because the music of Eminem is popular in other countries just like many artists in the music industry, and several athletes including Michael Jordan have developed their styles of play to be similar to Erving’s. Also, people have easy access to Erving, Eminem by going to a local library and going to websites such as www.youtube.com, to see highlights of Erving, or to hear music by Eminem.
I refuse to buy products made by Tommy Hilfiger for social reasons. I feel this way because my family and friends have told me about Hilfiger being racist towards minorities. This is also for personal reasons because I refuse to knowingly support anyone who is a racist. My views on racism developed based on my own beliefs about cultural identity. All of these things fit with my cultural identity because I watched sports and listened to rap music growing up, so it would be difficult for me to stop watching sports or listening to rap music.